Ezekiel Nathaniel keeps on improving his profile in the quarter-miler; last weekend he clocked 44.74 seconds on the boards to set a new African 400m indoor record.
Running last weekend for his Baylor University Texas at the 2025 Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championship held in Lubbock, Texas Nathaniel proved too strong for his competitors after he surged into the lead from an impressive 21.09 seconds opening lap run.
With his time Nathaniel has placed himself as the eighth fastest man in the world for the distance and marked his place as the sixth fastest in NCAA history while also achieving a meet record.
Athletics Federation of Nigeria officials are excited about his steady rise in the 400m and are hopeful he maintains his strides ahead of the World Indoor Championships billed for March 21-23 in Nanjing, China.
“He’s been consistent in the 400m so far, last year he made it the semi-final of the 2024 Olympics and this year he has started on a good note,” said an AFN official Monday.
“Hopefully, when the outdoor season begins, we are sure he can reproduce the form and perhaps target the long standing 44.17 national record set by Innocent Egbunike in 1987.
In 2022 during his freshman year Nathaniel broke the 48.50 seconds national 400m hurdles long standing record held by Henry Amike with 48.42, a time Nathaniel later bettered with 48.00 seconds’ run.
